Cup trays have been known for decades and are commonly used when a consumer purchases more than one beverage, to allow the consumer to handle all the beverages (typically up to four) at once. Further, it is a common design requirement for such cup trays that their structure be appropriate for handling with a single hand when loaded, while leaving the other hand free. The cup trays can also be conveniently laid on a flat surface, such as a seat of a car to carry the beverages to a place of consumption. Cup trays are typically intended to be disposed of after use, and there is therefore a strong market pressure for their costs to be maintained as low as possible. It is common that such trays be made of moulded pulp, although other materials have been used as well. Trays having four cup pockets are the most common, and are typically provided in a generally square shape with one cup pocket adjacent each corner.
Although known cup trays were satisfactory to a certain degree, there still remained room for improvement. For instance, there was strong market demand to improve or maintain the cup retention strength, make them capable of handling a wider variety of sizes, make them easier to handle, while maintaining their costs highly competitive.